Automatic flushing apparatus.



.No. 657.278. Patented Sept. 4, I900.

A. W. BARTON. AUTOMATIC FLUSHING APPARATUS;

' (Applicazion filed Oct. 4, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shut I.

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Patented Sept. 4, I900. A. W. BARTON.

AUTOMATIC. FLUSHIHG APPARATUS.

(Application filed on. 4, 1899.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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. Ninn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC FLUSHING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,278, dated September 4, 1900. Application filed October 4, 1899. Serial No. 732,444. (No model.-

To all whom, it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, ABNER W. BARTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, New York county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Flushing Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. A

My invention relates to an automatic flush ing device for water-closets and the like.

One object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, and effective apparatus wherebya closet may be automatically flushed by the raising of the seat.

Another object is to embody the apparatus in such a compact and simple form that it may be conveniently attached to water-closets in general without change, thus permitting its independent manufacture and sale.

In the drawings, which show the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a closet fitted with my improved automaticflushingapparatus. Fig. 2 is a relatively-enlarged detailed view of a portion of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a detail. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a detail of construction. Fig. at is a side elevation of a portion of the apparatus in a position different from that shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 5, 6, '7, and 8 represent modifications.

In the preferred embodiment, A is the bowl of a water-closet, which is shown somewhat in perspective.

B is the seat portion, also in perspective. The seat portion may be hinged in any ordinary well-known way and is therefore not illustrated in detail.

The flushing apparatus made the subjectmatter of this application is attached to the seat portion of the closet, preferably to one side of the hinged connection for the seat; hence the perspective view of bowl and seat in Fig. 1.

C is the water-supply tank, which may be filled with water in the usual manner by a suitable water-feed pipe 0, having a suitable cut-off of any well-known construction,whereby the water fed to the tank 0 is cut ofi when it has raised to the desired level. As this cutting off of the water-feed is well known and tension M and the extension I.

forms no part of this invention, it has not been illustrated.

C is a valve for the flush-pipe E, which leads from the tank (3 to thebowl A.

D is a lever connected at the end in the usual manner with the flushing-valve G and at the other end with the automatic flushing device.

K is a frame which carries a forward extension K, which may be secured to the water-closet seat B. At the rear end of this framefor example, at S-is pivotally connected a lever O, which is provided at or near its axis of rotation with a rack R, While the outer end of said rod may have graduated holding-points. F is another lever pivoted at L and carrying an extension F, which normally rests upon the bowl A of the closet. At the other end of the lever F is provided a rack G, meshing with the rack R, so that the tilting of the lever F will tilt the lever O.

M is an extension from the frame K.

I is an extension from the lever F.

J is a spring connection between the ex- The tendency of the spring J is to draw said extensions toward each other, thus causing the racks G and R to assume the normal position indicated in Fig. 2. N is an adjusting-screw by which the limit of this movement may be regulated to a desired degree.

N is an adjusting-screw for spring J. It will be observed that the tendency of the spring J is to cause the extensions K and F togap open. Hence if the extension K is secured to the seat of the Water-closet and the extension F bears against the bowl the gap ping open of said extensions will cause the seat of the water-closet to normally stand slightly open, as indicated in perspective in Fig. 1.

Z is a casing of any desired form.

By depressing the seat B, so that it will bear upon the top of the bowl A, the extension K will be moved toward the extension F, which movement will raise the outer end of the frame K, thus raising the pivotal support for the lever 0. Since the pivot for the lever F is mounted on the part K and the extension F rests upon the non-yielding bowl, the depression of the extension K will by the action of the racks G and R meshing with each other rock the lever O, lifting its outer end to the position indicated in dotted lines, Fig. l, at the same time stretching the spring J. When the weight is removed from the seat B, the spring J Will cause the parts to assume the position. indicated in solid lines, Figs. 1 and 2, thereby raisingthe seat B. Inasmuch as the end of the frame K, supporting the lever O, is movable, it will be seen that the tilting of said frame adds to the throw of the operative end of the lever 0. Hence in practice it is only necessary that the seat B should be raised a very little to give to the lever O the necessary movement to operate the valve 0 It is desirable in this class of apparatus to open the valve controlling the outlet from the supply-tank O by the raising of the seat after the closet has been used, so as to flush out the bowl, and to then allow the valve 0 to slowly seat itself, after which seating the supply-tank C will againbe filled in the wellknown mannernow common to the art. This effect is produced as follows: The lever O and the valve-lever D are connected, as by a chain P or other suitable means, which may be attached to any one of the graduated holding-points on the lever 0, selected with reference to the desired throw of the connection. Intermediate of this connection P and at any suitable point is a controller to regulate the time movement of the valve 0 In the preferred embodiment this controller T is an aircylinder having a piston-head U and a piston-rod V. The piston-head U carries a packing to prevent the passage of air past it in one direction. One end of the piston-rod V is attached to the lever D through the medium of the ring V. The cylinder T is attached to the lever O, as by a chain P.

The extensible controlling device operates as follows: Referring particularly to Fig. 1 and to Figs. 3 and 3 which are relatively enlarged detailed views, it will be seen that the piston-rod V may be hollow and provided with a needle-valve W at its upper portion X, so that the flow of air therethrough may be regulated. Suitable means may be provided whereby the needle-valve W will not be jarred out of place after it has been properly adjusted. Y is a spring inside the cylinder pressing against one end of the same and against the adjacent end of the piston-head U, thus having the tendency to move the piston from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 3. or gap around the piston-rod V, by which air may either enter or be ejected from the space in the cylinder above the piston U. When the seat is lowered from the position indicated in solid lines in Fig. 1 to the position indicated in dotted lines, the lever 0 will be raised to the position approximately shown in dotted lines. The pull of the chain being released, the spring Ywill raise the cylinder '1 up to the position shown in dotted lines- There is a space in other words, to the position shown in Fig. 3-the valve W permitting the air contained within the cylinder T below the piston U to flov: slowly out. The cupped packingin the piston U is arranged as shown substantially in Fig. 3, so that when the piston is moving downward in the cylinder (or the cylinder moving upward on the piston) its sides will collapse and allow a portion of the air below the piston to flow freely past the same, thus permitting the cylinder to rise quickly from the position indicated in solid lines, Fig. 1, to the position indicated in dotted lines. In this arrangement the cupped packing supplements the needle-valve outlet as a means to permit the escape of air from below the piston. When the seat B is depressed, the extensible connectionto wit, the cylinder T and piston U-assumes the position indicated in Fig. 3. As soon as the seat Bis raised, either manually or automatically, the

arm 0 of the lever is quickly depressed from the position indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to the position indicated in solid lines. Inasmuch as the cupped packing of the piston U is turned upwardly within the cylinder R, air cannot enter that portion of the cylinder below the piston shown in Fig. 3 unless it passes the valve W, which forms a resistance medium. Consequently when the lever O is quickly depressed it will draw down the'cylinder and the piston U simultaneously, since a partial vacuum will be created below the piston U. This downward movement of the piston-rod will rock the lever Dand unseat the valve 0 Since air can only enter the space in the cylinder below the piston U very slowly, the seating of the valve (1 will be delayed a sufficient time for all of the water contained within the tank 0 to flow down through the flush-pipe E into the bowl A.

This extension of the connection and seating of the valve 0 may be effected by weighting the valve end of the lever D or by providing a spring, such as D, which in this connection would be a well known equivalent. This means for normally tilting the valve-leverD into the position shown in Fig. 1 and seating the valve 0 should be sufficient to overcome the normal tendency of the spring Y within the cylinder T.

A substitution of a weight fora spring may be seen in Fig. 5, in which 1 is the weight. In this view, Fig. 5, a spring 2 is attached externally to the cylinder T and may form a substitute for the spring Y. (Shown in Fig.3.)

Fig. 6 shows a modification in which a lever 3 is pivoted to a fixed bracket F and carries a segmental gear 4, whiclrmeshes with another gear 5, carried by the extension K In this modification it will be seen that the movement of the lever 3 (when the extension K is depressed) will be the reverse of the lever 0. When the extension K is depressed and the lever 3 takes the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, this movement of the lever draws the cylinder T downward, compressing is lettered W.

the spring Y. When the water-closet seat is elevated, the lever 6 is drawn upwardly by a spring 7, thereby opening the valve and flushing the bowl, and the valve-lever 6 will be returned slowly to its normal position, owing to the slow passage of air out of the cylinder.

Fig. 7 illustrates another modification, in which the piston-rod of cylinder T is connected to the chain P bya link 8 and the cylinder T is connected to the lever 6* by a link 9. When the lever O is drawn upward by depressing the extension K the piston is moved to the upper end of the cylinder T by spring Y, as before described. When the extension K is raised, the lever 0 draws the cylinder and its contained piston suddenly downward through the medium of the chain P and the links. Upon this sudden downward movement of the piston the valve W hinders the ready outflow of the air, thereby causing the cylinder T to descend with the piston simultaneously, and thereby rocking the lever 6 to which it is attached by the said link 9. This rocking of the lever 6 opens the y alve C The valve 0 is caused to slowly close, as before,th us tilting the lever 6*,which draws upwardly the cylinder T. This return movement is slow by reason of the valve W preventing the free escape of air from the.

cylinder. The seating of the valve C in the flush-pipe is retarded for the purpose of permitting all of the water in the tank 0 to flow through the flush-pipe.

In Fig. 8 I have shown the piston and the valve W reversed, and in this figure said valve This regulating-valve may be located anywhere that it can perform its function as a brake.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the apparatus is capable of a variety of modifications, but that in all of said modifications the apparatus may be embodied in a compact and separate device which is capable of being attached to water-closets in general and will efiectively and durably act to automatically flush the bowl A after it has been used.

The device is preferably attached to one side of the seat 13 instead of immediately in the rear thereoffsince in practice the side attachment has been found to be most convenient. It is preferable to attach it sufficiently far to one side so that the end of the lever O at which the connection with the valve-lever is made is at a point forward of the hinge for theseat, so that when the seat is raised entirely up it will lift instead of depress the outer end of the lever 0. It is obvious that if the connection were immediately in the rear of the seat B and the end of the lever 0 overstood the hinged connection for said seat the raising of the seat to the upright position would throw down the end of the extension 0, (rather than raise the same,) and thereby cause the unnecessary flushing of the bowl.

WVhat I claim is 1. In combination, a water-supply and a rack and pivoted to a portion carried by and,

moved by said seat, and connection between the water-supply valve and lever arm of said last-mentioned rack.

2. In combination, a hinged seat, a lever rack carried by said seat, another rack engaging therewith and pivoted to an exten sion of said seat, a lever moved by the lastmentioned rack, and a spring to elevate the hinged seat.

3. In combination, a hinged seat, a leverrack carried by said seat, another rack en gaging therewith and pivoted to an extension of said seat, a lever moved by the last-mentioned rack, and means to move said racks relatively to each other and elevate said seat slightly.

4. An automatic flushing device comprising a lever-rack adapted to be carried by a tilting water-closet seat, another rack engaging with the first-mentioned rack and carried by an extension adapted to be carried by said seat, a lever moved by the last-mentioned rack, and means to move said racks relatively with respect to each other, and an extensible link connection adapted to couple the last nientioned lever with a valve whereby a water-supply for flushing the water-closet is controlled.

5. An automatic flushing device comprising alever-rack adapted to be carried by a tilting water-closet seat, another rack engaging therewith and pivoted to an extension adapted to be carried by said seat, a lever moved by the last-mentioned rack, means to move said racks relatively to each other, and an extensible link adapted to connect the last-mentioned lever with a valve whereby a water-supply for flushing the water-closet is controlled, a resistance means whereby the elongation of said extensible link may be retarded, and automatic means whereby said extensible link may be contracted.

6. In an automatic flushing device, aleverrack adapted to be carried by a tilting watercloset seat, another rack engaging with the first-mentioned rack and pivoted to an extension also adapted to be carried by said seat, a lever moved by the last-mentioned rack and means to move said racks relatively with respect to each other, an extensible link adapted to connect the last-mentioned lever with a valve in a suitable water-supply tank, said extensible link being elongated by the action of said valve, and contracted by means of a spring, and means whereby the elongation of said extensible link is partially resisted.

7. In an automatic flushing device, a watersupply and a valve therefor, a hinged seat, a lever-rack pivoted to said seat, one arm of said rack bearing upon a stationary support, another lever-rack engaging with the firstmentioned rack and pivoted to an extension carried by and moved by said seat, and a connection between the Water-supply valve and the lever-arm on the last-mentioned rack, and means whereby said connection may be automatically lengthened and shortened.

8. In an automatic flushing apparatus, a-

Water-supply, a valve therefor, a hinged seat, a lever-rack pivoted to said seat, one arm of said rack bearing upon a stationary support, another lever-rack engaging with the firstmentioned rack and pivoted to an extension carried by and moved by said seat, and a ABNER W, BARTON.

Witnesses:

R. C. MITCHELL, L. VREELAND. 

